Your Projection Leads
by DeathByShyKid
Summary: Ben worries about where Klaus has disappeared and decides to go look for him after yelling at his other siblings who shrug off the missing boy. However, when he turns up with nothing, something much worse comes to help him find Klaus. Set about a year or two after the season one finale when they are turned back into children. A take on Klaus having a new ability.
1. Finding Klaus

**A/N – Yeah, I'm obsessed, get with it everyone because I'm hoping on this bandwagon and I hope to stay on it till the series is finished. And, because Klaus is my favorite kid, I have to put him through some angsty things and hurt your feelings. Don't worry, I'm hurting my feelings too. Oh, and Ben is the best boy, so he gets to be up there with Klaus too! **

**Okay, so basically the premise for this story's making is something that their father said to Klaus when he (spoilers) died at the rave: "You've only scratched the surface of your potential." Basically, this has become a theorized version of some of Klaus' potential brought forth through unconventional methods! So, peace out everyone and I love you all, thanks for supporting me joining the Umbrella Academy fandom. **

**Set about a year or two after the season one finale when they are turned back into children.**

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**Chapter 1 – Finding Klaus**

Ben woke up late that morning – his clock told him it was almost eleven. It was almost surreal waking up past the time their father used to set for them. However, due to some certain circumstances – everyone in this house now has the mental age of an adult – Sir Hargreaves has been quite lenient towards him and his siblings about, well, _everything_. He was actually _pleased _with how things had turned out despite his family causing the apocalypse in the future; Ben guessed it was because Sir Hargreaves liked them better as adults.

Well, whatever the reason was, it's given Ben the ability to sleep in – a blessing in disguise if you asked him.

The man in a kid's body climbed out of his bed, stretching a bit before rubbing his eyes of any sleep still clinging to him. A moment's decision pushed Ben out of the room, still clad in his pajamas – he couldn't care, it's a Lazy Sunday, might as well relax a bit. He shuffled out of the room towards the kitchen downstairs, shivering running up his spine from the coldness pressing against his bare feet. Instead of finding the sensation annoying on such a morning, Ben found it to be an amazing and thrilling experience – after all, he'd been dead for almost twelve years.

Any sensation was a good one in Ben's book.

The boy made his way into the kitchen seeing Allison and Vanya leaning in close to one another. He smiled to himself, moving to the fridge after telling the girls 'good morning'. Vanya's been doing well with her new training – responding to it better, he corrected – and the friendship building between the two sisters was unbreakable at this point. They have their bouts of arguments every now and then but, by the end of the day, Vanya and Allison have pushed themselves to fix whatever's happening between them.

Ben found it amazing to see his family like this after everyone started to distance themselves from one another.

By the time the boy sat down at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him, Luther was strolling in. He gave the three at the table a once over before giving a small smile, "Did you all sleep well?"

"I woke up with a crick in my neck but, besides that, I slept alright." Allison shared the smile, looking to her sister, "What about you, Vanya?" Said girl shrugged, looking down at his almost finished oatmeal. She spooned for some more, filling her mouth in order to avoid talking.

Ben furrowed his eyebrows, deep sadness filling his heart. Even though it has almost been two years since the time before, Vanya was still wary of Number One. From what he gathered, Luther exploited her trust before locking her up and has sort-of proven that he was a threat to heKeywordord: was. Vanya's coming around, starting to see him like a brother and not an enemy. She'd been quick to forgive Allison and even faster to forgive Klaus – Vanya hadn't ever held any bad blood for Ben either.

It was Diego and Luther that had become her problem.

Speak of the devil – Diego strolled in, a grin on his baby face. Ben snorted quietly, spooning cereal in his mouth. He stayed silent for the most part – he wasn't sure if it was just in his nature to be non-verbal or maybe it was an aftereffect of being dead for so long.

Luther took a seat at the table, an apple in his hands, "Good morning, Diego."

The other boy slides into a chair beside Ben, propping his legs up on the table, "Yeah, yeah. Dad says we have training in an hour. It's the stairs exercise."

"Well," All heads turn towards Five, having suddenly appeared downstairs with a cup of coffee in his hand, "you all are going to lose. No one's ever been able to beat me at that game."

Allison chuckled behind her hand, "Are you sure that Dad's even going to let you play? I heard that it's Senior Citizen's Day at the local bingo center – that sounds a bit up your alley, don't you think?"

"So, we're playing the age card, huh?" Five sighed heavily, "If that's the case, none of you should be 'playing games'. Aren't you all in your twenties?"

"It's not a game." Luther concluded, self-righteousness filling his voice, "It's an exercise to help re-train us. We all know now that we've lost our skills, so we've got to work again to get back up to that point."

"Yeah, whatever, it's still a game." Allison shook her head, a bit amused. Vanya, for the most part, was staying silent but Ben could tell that she had an underlying bout of excitement filling her eyes.

"Do you remember the first time we ever played that game?" Diego questioned, eyebrow quirked.

"Exercise." The blond-haired boy corrected.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, "Five cheated-"

"I adapted, thank you very much." The old man – now boy – hissed out, drowning himself in the last bit of caffeine.

"-and Allison used her rumor to make Luther start making the climb back down to drink the rest of his orange juice." Diego grinned in remembrance.

Luther bristled at that, "Even though I did drink that orange juice, I still managed to get in fifth place."

Five nodded, "Yeah, Klaus looked like he was going to die running up those stairs."

Ben furrowed his eyebrows, glancing towards the stairs at the mention of his brother. The others continued to speak, laughing together with a bit of adult humor sprinkled in there. He stood up from his seat, dumping his empty bowl in the sink before making his way around the table before stopping. "Has anyone seen Klaus?" The boy asked.

Heads turned towards one another before collectively everyone murmured out a quick, "No."

"I'm going to go see where he went off to." Ben hadn't needed to say anything as no one was really listening, his siblings already absorbing themselves in another conversation this time about music. In the back of his mind, Ben hoped that Vanya might contribute towards their discussion.

He climbed the stairs, peeking around corners and in closets. Even though Klaus had promised him that he'd try to stay sober – and he's been doing a damn good job, a year and eight months – Ben sometimes worries that his brother's popping pills again. However, he trusted the boy's promise, and, because of that, Ben would continue to search for him.

The first place he checked was Klaus' bedroom – nothing. The five bathrooms in the house were a no-go too. Ben even checked his own room as his brother was known to stop by and spend an unearthly amount of time there. Still, there was nothing. He moved to see if Klaus was hiding in his siblings' rooms, maybe planning a prank or something – Ben doubted it though. He practically checked every part of the house, but Klaus still evaded him.

He was beginning to worry.

"Ben?"

He turned around, "Mom."

Grace smiled warmly at him, "Are you okay?"

"Just worried a bit," Ben stated, looking at the woman.

"Why's that?"

"I can't find Klaus anywhere." He told the android, "Have you seen him?"

She thought for a moment, eyes flickering, "No, can't say that I have? Have you checked with your father?"

"No. He's busy right now, isn't he?" Ben furrowed his eyebrows in question.

Grace smiled warmly, "Sir Hargreaves is in his study. I could ask him for you, if you'd like?"

"Yes, please." His eyes were pleading. She nodded once before shuffling towards the stairs, disappearing around a corner on the upper levels of their home. Ben didn't waste time though, moving to the library and bar where Pogo was rearranging some books. "Pogo?" He started.

The ape looked startled for a moment, "Master Ben, good afternoon. How can I help you?" He shifted his glasses a bit, setting a book back in its place.

"Have you seen Klaus anywhere?" Ben asked.

He thought for a moment, "Ah, I'm sorry, Master Ben, but I can't say if I had. Last I saw him was last night as he was heading to his room for the night."

"Ben." A sweet voice called from upstairs.

The boy turned around, looking up at the open walkway above him, "Did he say anything, Mom?"

Grace shook her head, "He hasn't seen Klaus anywhere, dear. Is there anything you need?"

"Um… no ma'am, thank you." Ben sighed out, walking back to the kitchen where his siblings still sat together. The only difference was that everyone now seemed to be sporting a cup of coffee like Five. "Guys?"

They glanced up at him, hushed silence running between them all. "What is it, Ben? You look like you've seen a ghost." Diego stated before wincing at his poorly chosen words.

Ben didn't even think twice about it – Klaus has said it too many times for him to find it at all insulting. "Speaking of ghosts… Have anyone of you seen Klaus at all?" He asked, taking a few steps into the kitchen.

"That's what's got your panties in a twist?" Diego snorted, finishing off his coffee, "Klaus used to disappear all the time, it's not all that unusual."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Klaus is on the streets high as a kite." Five shrugged, not bothered by the unusual disappearance of his brother.

Ben could feel the frustration and anger bubbling within him. "Are you serious?!" Everyone stared at him. He hadn't ever once raised his voice at them since he came back from the dead.

Allison rubbed her arm, "Ben, face the facts. Klaus would do anything to smother his fear of the dead and… and that just happens to be drugs."

"Allison's right." Luther stated, "Even if Klaus sobered up for the apocalypse, we can't ever be sure that he wouldn't pick it up again."

"You're all horrible." Ben hissed out, hands balled into tiny fists. He might even have looked terrifying had he been in an adult body. "He hasn't used in almost two years because he _promised _me he wouldn't." Number Six pointed to himself, hand flat against his chest before pointing at them accusingly, "None of you actually _care _about Klaus – he's just the junkie of the family to you, isn't he?!"

"Ben…" Allison furrowed her eyebrows sympathetically, however, she couldn't meet the boy's eyes.

"He tries day and night to stay sober, even when he desperately wants to be numb again and that's because he's trying to keep a promise to _me._" He uncurled his fists, turning around, "And you're wrong – Klaus hasn't been afraid of dead people for a while now."

"Where are you going?!" Luther called out, standing up from his chair.

Ben walked to the door, "I'm going to try to find Klaus."

Luther looked like he might go after the boy but Five simply raised his hand. "You should just quit now before you bother him anymore." He guzzled his drink, "Plus, you can't exactly be mad at him. We've all been pretty critical of Klaus."

Silence filled the family, awkward shifting moving between the remaining five. "Do you think he's okay? Klaus… I mean." Vanya's quiet voice spoke up, eyes running between her brothers and sister.

Allison laid a hand on her back, smoothing out her wrinkled shirt, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Are you sure?" The girl asked her.

No… no one was really sure.


	2. Uncaring, Unlovable

**A/N – Okay, first of all, **_**woah**_**! This story is being so well received and I am all for continuing this for you all. I already have this whole thing planned out and believe me, there is more to come from all the siblings. Don't worry either – Klaus is going to be making his appearance shortly. Also, mentioning this now, but this entire story is going to unedited until its completion when I'll finally go back and edit previous chapters for a well-rounded story. Comment what you think's happened to Klaus and what you've theorized his new potential to be – I'd love to hear what you all think so far into this story. Also, thank you, everyone, who is sharing my love for Klaus – for some unknown reason, people just can't agree that he's 'Best Boy 10/10'. Without further ado, here is chapter two!**

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** Chapter 2: Uncaring, Unlovable**

Ben had searched _everywhere_.

He looked up and down streets, around alleyways even in dumpsters. He asked around more than a few times, but no one knew where the fourth Hargreaves sibling was. The boy stopped by a small little diner he and Klaus had gone to a few times since going back in time – nothing. Ben ran around like a crazed child for hours until he was stopped by an older couple. The two asked him if he had anywhere to go, as in, was he homeless? When the boy questioned why they would think that, they promptly pointed to his attire.

Of course, Ben had elected to stay in his pajamas that day and was roaming around the city looking like an escaped orphan.

After politely telling them that he did, in fact, have a home, Ben asked them if they'd seen his brother anywhere. They had thought long and hard, giving him multiple children's descriptions but none matched Number Four. He bid them farewell and walked towards a neighboring park – he was tired, and his legs ached, might as well take a quick break.

Ben sat down on the park bench with a heavy heart, hands balled into fists pressing deeply into his cheekbones. He looked down at his shoes, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. He failed his brother, continuing to fail him the more he sat on this bench. Still, the black-haired boy couldn't find the energy to move from his position. The street lights had turned on only fifteen minutes ago, reacting to the sun starting to move down the horizon. Ben looked to the sky, wondering where on earth his brother could be.

It's like Klaus had disappeared.

The monsters of his dark side pulsed underneath his chest, curling tighter around his organs in response to the thought. Ben grimaced at the feeling – that's one thing he hadn't missed about being alive; feeling the creatures under his skin gave him the heebie-jeebies'. They wanted out, to find Klaus themselves without Ben's body to keep them buddle uptight, bound to him. The battle for control all day pushed the dark-haired boy towards exhaustion, himself and the monsters fueled with one goal: find Klaus.

Yet, he's failed.

The park was emptying of children and dog-walkers as the night progressed. Ben guessed that it was getting to be about eight o'clock now – dinner's already been served back home and, knowing his siblings, they were probably going to be up for another two or three hours. With no more rules of bedtimes, everyone's night owl took its throne.

A sudden thought crossed his mind. What if Klaus had left early this morning and just didn't tell anyone? What if he's already back home?

Ben shot up from the park bench, scaring a few pigeons a few feet from him near a trashcan. He paid them no heed, dashing back home. He put effort into every step, running around civilians and jaywalking to get around busy cross sections as the nightlife was starting up. The monsters settled for the most part but created a bit of anxious anticipation as to what they'll find upon going home.

He barely even stopped at the front doors, opening and closing them within two seconds each. Ben took only a moment to catch his breath before marching through the house – while he didn't like his father, he did respect the fact that Sir Hargreaves didn't like running in his house. The dark-haired boy approached the bar, hearing conversing there. The boy didn't even get two feet into the room before Diego saw him.

"Hey Ben, you still looking for Klaus?" The other boy raised his eyebrow, a beer in hand. Five, who was behind the bar, gave his brother an odd look.

Ben's face fell at the realization of it all. Klaus wasn't here. He was still out there, somewhere – maybe in danger – and here he was wasting his time. "I'm so stupid." He found himself mumbling out.

Diego, noticing the shift, promptly hopped off the stool he'd been sitting on, "Well, that's not very reassuring."

"I'm assuming that Klaus is still missing." Five concluded, propped up against the bar with a martini in his hand, slurping it down without a care in the world.

"Yeah." Ben's mouth felt dry and he found that he couldn't meet his brothers' eyes.

Number Two glanced between the shortest of his siblings and Five still staring boredly, "Ben, maybe he's at a… friend's house?"

Silence filled the room before Five promptly huffed out a laugh. Diego shot the boy a look, watching him tip back the rest of his drink. "Klaus? Friends?" The time-traveler snorted, "Yeah, that's a theory we can all debunk."

Diego crossed his arms, almost itching for a knife, "You know, Five, this could actually be something serious."

"It could." Five agreed, walking around the bar before leaning against the walls, "However, we don't really have anything to go on, now do we?"

Ben shook his head, "I'm going to go check the security tapes, see if I can find something."

Two nodded, moving to stand with him, "I'll go with you."

He gave his brother a look, watching him already start moving to where the tapes were located. Ben couldn't decide whether he appreciated Diego deciding to help him or if he was offended. As he started walking, he decided that it was both. Appreciation for the extra help – he's been running all over town, a little help was nice and all but… him being offended comes from what happened earlier that day.

While Diego had only told him that Klaus' disappearance was normal and not at all something they should be concerned with, it still meant that he cared enough to go out of his way for his brother.

Ben followed in silence, taking the only available seat at the desk before his brother had the chance. Diego simply stood beside him, hovering a bit while his eyes desperately searched the screen. The dark-haired boy pressed a button that turned the recorded security film backward, looking at the screen with an intense stare. Both he and his brother fell silent, watching the tape.

At seven that night, their father went upstairs after dinner but, due to the reversed film, Ben got to see him go downstairs to eat dinner around six. Luther and Allison disappeared out the door at about two and Vanya went to her room a little while before then. Diego and Five hung around in multiple spots in the house after Ben had left a little bit before noon. The day continued going backward, showing everyone waking up various times during that morning.

Still, no sign of Klaus.

They continued to watch with nothing really showing up. Time reversed, and everyone was back in their beds sleeping away. The previous day showed, going back to yesterday's morning before Ben decided to stop the film. The boy took a deep breath, almost giving up entirely.

"Do you think Dad still videos our rooms?" Diego suggested.

"I don't think so," Ben stated quietly, already clicking over to the individual cameras of located in his siblings' bedrooms. Surprisingly, it clicked on, showing live footage of Klaus' bedroom. Without a word, he pressed the same button from before, watching time reverse. He sped it up for most of the day as he already knew that Klaus wasn't at home when he woke up.

It's not until about midnight that the camera suddenly stutters, placing Klaus out of his window. Ben quickly slows down the reverse sped but continues to watch with worry plaguing his heart. Klaus is seen dressing in something nice, having pulled himself from his bed only thirty minutes before he crawled down the fire escape.

He could feel Diego's hand plop down on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Face the facts, Ben." The other boy sighed out, releasing his hold, "Klaus is still the same as he was before. A year's time isn't enough to stop his cravings."

"You're wrong." Ben hissed out, twisting his chair around to face his brother. The monsters shifted underneath his skin, happy to oblige in any attacks the boy might want to pursue. He held them at bay, keeping his anger somewhat under control.

Diego raised his hands in defense before motioning to the pause camera film, "The proof is _right _there in front of you. Klaus is popping pills again."

He stood up abruptly, "No, he wouldn't!"

"I'm not going to fight you on this." Diego sighed heavily, as if out of energy, "Stop painting Klaus out to be this… nevermind."

He snarled at the other boy, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You and every other person in this house all think the same about him – that he's just going to be a junkie forever!"

"That's not entirely true." Number Two crossed his arms defensibly, "W-W-We… We-e-" He choked on his words, the stutter that was so prominent in his speech coming back to bite him in the ass at the one moment he needed it the most.

"_No! _It _is _true! And it's because you don't _care_!" Ben's hands flared out in front of him, taking a moment to collect himself as to not accidentally release his creatures, "None of you bothered to find him or cared enough to even _worry _about Klaus when he was kidnapped by Hazel and Cha-Cha. You didn't have to watch him struggle while they accidentally forced him to detox."

Diego, for the most part, stayed silent. He swallowed thickly, eyes not meeting the shorter of the two. He had tried to form some kind of apology, but his mouth wouldn't work. The room seemed smaller and fueled by tension. Ben took his time calming down, unsure of where this anger originated from – he used to be a good-natured kid the first time around, but now he's quick to get mad.

"I'm going to get something to eat." Ben excused himself, walking out of the room as quickly as possible. He didn't want to think about what he'd just said because it would just make him mad again. However, he couldn't get Klaus out of his head.

"_Where are you?" _Ben found himself thinking, more worried than ever.


	3. A Reliant Nature

**A/N – Back again with another chapter. This one is a little longer than the previous ones and I think it's because I'm getting more confident with my characterizations of Umbrella Academy. I love this fandom and you all are so nice, I just love you all so much! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this newest chapter!**

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**Chapter 3: A Reliant Nature**

_30 hours before Klaus' disappearance…_

Klaus tried to contain his excitement throughout the day, the anticipation of tonight. He stared at the clock above the dinner table, only half-listening to what Ben was talking about – he knew it had something to do with a movie that was coming out within the next few weeks the other boy was excited to watch. Still, he continued to find himself distracted, finishing with his dinner as quickly – and discreetly – as humanly possible. However, it was only six o'clock which meant that there was no way that Klaus could excuse himself for bed now.

So, he waited patiently.

Ben was animated in the way he'd been speaking, hands flashing around wildly in enthusiasm. Klaus knew that there were eyes on him or, more specifically, his brother. Things had been weird between his other siblings at Number Six. It wasn't that they were mean to him – if they tired, they'd have to deal with Klaus. He wasn't sure what he'd do to them, but it's the thought that counts. That's beside the point though.

His siblings had been cautious around Ben since his resurrection. They treated him like a fine art museum – watch from a distance but never touch – and they rarely addressed the fact that he'd died. It hadn't been a sore subject for the boy in _years _– Klaus had helped his brother get situated with his new life in between popping pills and having hangovers. Those rare moments when he'd been somewhat sober had saved Ben from any lingering sour thoughts about being dead. Klaus _knew _this, but the others still held an air of wariness.

This wariness had started to get on Klaus' nerves as the year went on as if forced Ben to spend most his time on the sidelines or up against the previous junkie's side. He stopped contributing to conversations like he had tried to do in the beginning after they were sent back in time. The shorter boy was closing in on himself, the only outlet to the outside world being, again, Klaus.

It was sad to see but the brown-haired boy promised to stay clean and stay by his brother's side.

But his life had been turned upside-down and he needed an outlet.

No, Klaus wasn't going to popping pills for Ben's sake, but he still needed something, _someone_. He knew from a young age that he was dependent – a nature he had thought he'd grown out of once he hit twenty. However, after everything that happened to him…

_The trunk was cold against his bare skin, body quivering in the dark with tape covering his mouth. The stench that wafted from the car's exhaust made him nauseous, his stomach doing flips as vomit threatened to spill out of his nose. Klaus could hear Ben somewhere in the car, pounding on the top with a frantic voice. He tried to call out but the tape stopped anything coming out._

"…_but look what I found." He heard a man's voice, opening the trunk as light blinded the man._

_Klaus shook uncontrollably as they tied him to a chair. The only relief he got out of all of this was the fact that his capturers had removed the tape from his mouth. Bear-head-man beat him often, punching him across his face when he wouldn't give him any information. Bunny-head-lady slapped him sometimes, but he didn't know anything._

_He knew absolutely nothing – sort of but they didn't have to know. Although they were horrible to him, Klaus still loved his siblings and wanted to protect them especially Five. That boy – now old man mentally – had been through so much and Klaus hadn't seen him in so long; a brotherly urge took over him, desperately trying not to spill his beans._

_Through his torture, Klaus could feel dead eyes on him as indicated from the shiver running up and down his back. He knew Ben was watching him from the corner of the room, absolutely silent. He couldn't see his brother from where his capturers had faced him – it made him fearful because what if Ben had just left him alone. His dependency on Ben being there for him made the thought of abandonment hurt worse than the torture. Klaus couldn't see if he was worried, sick of watching this happened to his brother._

_The wire that came to wrap around his throat suffocated his airways and, although shameful, Klaus found it embarrassingly pleasurable. The hit that followed because of such a thing wasn't so enjoyable. It made his head swim with stars in his eyes – all of this head trauma probably wasn't good for his health. Klaus' thoughts darted around the idea of dying. Although he wasn't scared of death and was practically welcoming it at this point, he knew that Ben probably didn't want to see something like that._

_Things went downhill after that, his drugged-up mind causing him to crave so much. The drugs they found in his pockets shook like candy in its plastic pouch, making Klaus' mouth water and his stomach gurgle in delight. Bear-head-man threatened to throw them away, Bunny-head-lady yelling at him to tell them about Five. Klaus wanted to keep his mouth shut, wanted to protect his brother but he couldn't._

_And then came the closet._

_The closet that was so unbelievably hot and toxic to his health. He filtered in and out of consciousness, dropping him into the place of his childhood nightmares. Klaus' childish screams of pain and tears he shed still plagued him as he detoxed. The tape was over his mouth again, vomit pulsing in his throat. He just wanted it to stop._

_All he had through the scary experience was Ben who simply stood behind him, ghostly hand moving through his shoulder as some form of reassurance. "It's okay." His brother had told him, "The worst of it is almost over." Klaus tried to keep it close to him._

_The worst of it is almost over._

_The worst of it is… almost over._

_Almost over._

_Never over, it's never over._

_The worst continues to hurt him, killing a police officer who was only trying to save him. His drugged self that took the briefcase in hopes of money – a selfish cause – opened up a can of worms that he never wants to revisit. _

_War took whatever innocence he had leftover from his demented childhood. A gun had been placed in his hand and he was forced onto the battlefield with little to no experience, but they didn't care about that. The Vietnam War called for everyone's participation. Klaus watched newly made friends die out there and for months he was terrified._

_The worst of it is almost over._

_Klaus had almost believed Ben then – his ghostly brother having not followed him back in time to be his rock. He met someone special there in this strange new world._

_Dave…_

_Kind, brave, strong Dave…_

_Beautiful Dave…_

_Dave who died, bloodied body turned over on the ground with such a peaceful face. Dave who had risked everything for the country he loved. Dave who'd risked his life for the only one he loved: Klaus._

_Klaus was alone again, his dependent nature stabbing his heart with millions of knives. It strangled him with tears when he came back, stomach doing flips at losing someone so close to him. This was so much different than when he had lost Ben. It was heart-breaking sure, but they didn't share a bed together or kiss away the nightmares of war when things. They didn't hold each other's hand as shots fired at them, didn't share a kiss before running into battle with bravery._

_He didn't have to crawl to Ben's body when he died, holding everything precious in his life as it slipped away from him._

Klaus shook his head again as if the memories would simply slip out of his ears from such a thing. It was nearing midnight then and he anxiously waited in his bed. He _needed _this outlet.

A few weeks ago, he'd met someone online who lived pretty close by – a kid his age, not mentally, of course, by the name of Alex. Alex wanted to meet soon before he moved across the country, to see Klaus before he goes. The dependency he'd lost after Dave died made him reach out for this kind of connection.

Because of that, Klaus was climbing out of his window in something nice, moving downtown to meet Alex.

Alex had said that they had to meet late at night because his parents didn't know that he was interested in guys and they were homophobic. Klaus, having come across many homophobic people in his life, knew the struggle of keeping a secret as big as sexuality. He respected the other boy's choice and made the long walk to the place that they were meeting.

On his walk, he'd thought about the fact that he hadn't told anyone where he was going or who he was meeting with. Klaus thought about pulling out his phone and sending a quick text to Ben that he was heading out – that boy was a known worry-wart; it might be a good idea to do that. He pulled out his phone and looked at the messaging app, thrumming his fingers against the screen before stopping.

The meeting spot was approaching – only a block away – and Klaus couldn't bring himself to send the text. He quickly deleted whatever he was going to say, pocketing the phone quickly. The streets were empty except for stray spirits mingling around shops, a slight chill covering the area. It was beautiful though, a sliver of the moon still showing in the sky with a plethora of stars.

Klaus had never had time to appreciate the universe above him when he'd been high on pills and whatever would drown out of the world of dead people. Since then, he's been able to gaze up at the sky with wonderment in his eyes, as if looking into the universe will erase his trauma.

Their meeting place was the local park he'd only ever been to a couple times. He sat down at a bench and pulled out his phone, checking the time. It was nearing one in the morning and he was starting to become exhausted – today had been a long day between drills and other exercises their father forced them through. Klaus pulled out his phone, dialing Alex's number in hope that the other boy was close – he didn't really want to spend all morning out like this.

"Hello?" A man had picked up, voice thick with a slight New York accent.

Klaus looked around suddenly very aware of his surroundings, "…Alex?"

"Klaus?"

At the single moment, Klaus was so unbelievably unsure of himself. With the body of a twelve-year-old, he thought he'd wanted to meet up with other kids 'his age' but, with the mind of a twenty-something-year-old, he found that that man's voice changed everything. Maybe he should just leave.

"Klaus?" The man asked again, "Is that you I see on that bench?"

"W-What?" His voice came out in a breathy whisper. Yes, he _definitely _needed to leave. He shot up from the bench, the phone completely still against his ear. The boy turned around, eyes watching the surrounding area like a hawk.

The voice on the other end chuckled quietly, a whistle piercing the speakers, "And would you look at that? You dressed so nicely for me, how wonderful. Your father would be proud of you, wouldn't he? Or is he disappointed that you'd trust someone so openly who you've never met? Maybe he's just disappointed with you in general; Sir Reginald seems like the kind of man who'd be like that, doesn't he?"

"What do you want?" Klaus found himself asking, starting to back away from the park and out into the open.

"Simple, money." The man sounded like he was grinning, satisfied with himself, "And it's not just me in on this. _We _all want our share and we're hoping you could help us with that."

He gulped, unable to find anyone suspicious, "Dad has all the money, not me. Go mess with him or something."

"And where's the fun in that, Klaus?" The boy hated the way this man was saying his name as if it was poisoning the sound of it, "Plus, with you in our possession, we'll be guaranteed _everything_. Don't you like the sound of that?"

"Stay away from me," Klaus whispered out, turning around swiftly.

Only to run right into a man's chest.

"I said," The man grinned, hand grabbing the front of his shirt, leaning down to whisper in Klaus' ear, "don't you like the sound of that?"

He struggled to pull away from the cloth covering his mouth and nose, desperately holding his breath but he was no match. As he fell unconscious, Klaus could feel the phone dropping from his hand, his only contact with the other world gone.

Gone like him.

"_Ben…"_


	4. Your Escapism

**A/N – Hello everyone and welcome back! This is a slightly shorter chapter compared to the previous three, but the content is still strong with this one! I apologize for not posting yesterday too. I've been challenging myself to write every day because it's not only a good practice, but I also have a lot of fun doing this every night. Besides the point – the reason I didn't post yesterday was that I had exams today and decided to go to bed early last night rather than stay up later to write this chapter. Hope you forgive me. Also, quick question, but how are you liking the kidnappers so far? I'm not very good at writing antagonists but I feel like I'm doing a decent job with these characters. Well, that's enough out of me! I love you all and I hope you like the chapter.**

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**Chapter 4: Your Escapism**

"…us…" Words morphed together inside his muddy mind, "-laus, wake u…" The boy knew he was waking up, slowly but surely, body heavy with sleep. "Klaus. Hey, Klaus, wake up." The voice was deeper than any of his siblings' prepubescent voices, but it definitely was higher than Luther's when the boy was a man. It had an accent of some sorts, but it was hard to distinguish from the mud clinging to his brain.

Klaus let out a quiet groan. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, he wondered if it was swollen. He licked his lips, the dryness from it making him cringe. The brown-haired boy was thirsty; it was the same kind of thirst he got after waking up from one of his worse highs, the ones where he'd be hopped up on drugs for days and only stopping when he passed out for an entire day. It made his stomach churn.

"Come on now, you're keeping the camera waiting." The voice egged on, encouraging and almost sadistic sounding. He took a deep breath, exhaling it through his nose in a quick burst. The room Klaus was being held in was warm, stifling all other senses. It spun around him, head swimming as colors flashed behind his closed eyelids. "Klaus~" Sultry, sweet was the only thing he could manage to describe the man's voice.

Number Four opened his eyes with trouble, the light above him torturously bright; it made his eyes burn and he hissed in pain. He tried to move a hand to cover his face from it but found that he couldn't. Klaus' breath stuttered looking down at the leather binds surrounding his wrists, keeping him stuck to an old wooden chair.

_Bear-head-man dragged him out of the closet, body shaking from his detox as tears pouring down his bloodied face in quick succession._

"Ah, there are those pretty eyes." The accent was back and, as it would come with his sudden consciousness, so did the memories of before.

"Alex." Klaus' voice low but by the man's close proximity, he was heard loud and clear.

"Well, I see you haven't lost any of your memory. That's good because, after we get what we want," Alex squatted in front of the chair, eyes leveling with the boy's, "you won't be forgetting me."

Klaus flashed a grin before slamming his head into the man's forehead. He watched without even batting an eye as Alex jumped backward, anger flashing in his eyes. His win didn't last long, his capturer reaching out for his shirt. He grabbed the front of it and raised his fist.

_Klaus flinched before the man's fist ever hit him, Bear-head-man hitting him harder and harder each time he refused to give them any information, jaw swollen and tongue bloodied from where he'd bitten it._

Klaus wouldn't back down now, having already gone through this. He glared at Alex from underneath long eyelashes, mouth settling into a stern frown within milliseconds of the appearance of the man's fist. His eyes gleamed dangerously, daringly taunting him to _do it_.

Alex pushed him back, nearly sending Klaus and the chair to the ground. He sneered, "Didn't think you had any fire in you. Hope you've still got some for the camera."

The boy blinked slowly, voice low, "Camera?"

His capturer nodded, motioning with his hand. Klaus watched as two men and a woman walked in with a fairly new camera with its own stand. Under any other circumstances, he might have found the small thing somewhat cute. The solo woman stalked up to him, clad in everything black with sunglasses that stopped any emotion from flooding her eyes. She roughly turned him in order to completely face the camera from the somewhat skewed position he was in before.

Klaus stared into the camera's lens, losing himself to his thoughts. He can't help but wonder if he's about to have a rerun of last time he was kidnapped.

"_Are you Diego's brother?" The female police officer asked him in a low voice, concern lingering in her eyes. He nodded fiercely, head swimming from the motion. Klaus had tried to motion that Bunny-head-lady and Bear-head-man were both still in the hotel room, but the police officer didn't understand._

_She let him lose, silently telling him to make a run for it while she went about her police duties. The woman pushed him to the side, Klaus taking the initiative of going through the vents, taking a strange briefcase with him. As he slid to safety, the shot that came next rang in his ears for the next while – he hoped beyond everything that his savior had done the shooting and not the other way around._

_But the way Diego acted-_

"Klaus!" There was a snap in front of his eyes, stopping his train of thought. Alex huffed, waiting until the younger boy's eyes were glowering up at him, "You cooperate, and your dad will have you home in no time. You don't and well…" The words died down in his throat.

"Boss," One of the other men stated, "we're ready to go."

Alex grinned, all teeth and gums – Klaus found it horrendous. The man who'd captured him moved to a table, pulling on a ski mask and reaching for a knife. The boy watched, desperately trying to steal his nerves. He wondered how this was going to go down. When he was high as a kite the last time he was kidnapped, every funny comment or mildly humorous tone in his voice sent the Bear-head-man into a small fit of rage.

The punch that came next was never pleasing but it never exactly stopped Klaus from continuing to egg it on.

However, there's a knife involved this time. Klaus had never been stabbed before – beaten, of course, but never stabbed. It was like a trophy of some sorts that he kept close to his heart, an achievement he was proud of. At least it kept him out of trouble most night. The beatings and bruising from fights he'd get into were nothing compared to what a stab wound might feel like.

He couldn't decide if he was actually afraid of the thought of being stabbed or if it was the trepidation that made the feeling of what was to come so much worse? He continued to watch with bated breath as Alex started to march over to him again. The man kneeled in front of him again and Klaus was almost tempted to knock his head against his capturer's once more.

As appealing as it sounds, it wasn't a fist he was dealing with now.

Alex took the sharp knife and held it close to the boy's chest, though, there was about half a foot of distance between the end of it and his pecs. Klaus watched and waited, glancing at the man's three companions who stood motionlessly beside the camera. He looked back Alex, watching him undo the bounds securing his wrists to the chair.

As quickly as he could, Klaus banged his head against the man's forehead once more, the sickening _thump _of two skulls knocking together filling the hollowed room. The boy shot up from his seat, practically climbing over it and dodging to the end of the room.

Klaus didn't know the layout of the place or where he was going, but he knew that he had to get _out_. The room he was being kept in was actually quite bigger than he'd originally suspected. He noticed that it was a garage of some sorts with two large garage doors at the very end of it. Seeing this as one of his last opportunities of freedom, the boy turned to head for the doors that were partially open at the bottom.

Opened just enough for a small child to climb through.

Klaus sped up, hearing footsteps behind him. He needed to do this perfectly or he'd be stuck again. _"Come on, fuel your inner Diego and go _faster!" His mind chanted for him, imagining himself as his more athletic brother and it felt like he was gaining more speed. He couldn't stop the grin on his face, the adrenaline running through him almost as addicting as the pills he used to take.

He took a few more steps before diving to the floor, half of his body sliding completely underneath the garage doors. Klaus desperately tried to shimmy through, gritting his teeth as he clawed the cement underneath him. _"Come on, come one, come on!" _His breath increased, knees just barely past the garage doors.

A large hand grabbed his ankle, twisting it back. Klaus cried out – whether it was out of fear or pain, he wasn't entirely sure as the adrenaline was getting to him too much. "Let go!" He shouted out, wiggling his leg around in hopes that it would loosen the hand's hold over his appendage. Another hand pulled at his other ankle, pulling him back into the garage.

Klaus tugged desperately at the asphalt underneath him, eyes wide with pleading. He searched the empty night streets, windows closed shut and no light of any kind to be seen for miles. Still, there's a chance of a random dog-walker or a police officer on night watch. "HELP!" He screamed, feeling his back scrape painfully against the underneath of the garage doors, "SOMEONE HELP _ME_!"

Within seconds, he was back inside with two men glaring down at him. The doors slammed shut behind him, the metallic sliding sound filling his ears. Alex appeared in his sight, a cruel smile on his face, "You just can't stay put, can you?"

Klaus sneered, spitting in the man's face as he continued to struggle against the men pining him down. "Fuck _you_!" He hissed out, barring his teeth like a wild animal.

"How naughty of you." The man looked hurt, an obvious façade, "Your father's not going to be pleased when he sees you like this."

The boy was forced to stand. He tried to hold himself up, but his ankles felt swollen, the left one painfully tingling every time he took a step. Klaus would bet his father's entire wine collection that it was sprained somewhat from that man twisting it beforehand. He was led towards the camera, limping a bit.

"Now, let's try this again." Alex grinned, taking both of the brown-haired boy's arms and twisting them behind his back. Klaus hissed behind clenched teeth, sending death glares at his capturer. The camera turned on as indicated from the red light. "Sir Reginald Hargreaves, I think I have someone you might be looking for." Klaus stared into the camera lens, eyes heartbroken and soul stolen.

His father wasn't looking for him after all, Klaus is the man's worst disappointment – why would he look for someone like that?


	5. Guilt

**A/N – Heyo! I'm back again! Sorry for the inconsistent posting, I meant to write and post these every day, however, life got to me again. I had exams all last week and then a competition for this club that I'm in – now I'm dealing with completely new classes since the new semester started today. Though, besides that, I will probably be posting these every day again so don't mind me. This chapter was really fun for me to write and I enjoy Ben's character so much. Sorry for the shorter chapters, I find that I can't churn out more than this right now. Also, I'd love to thank the few of you out there that have commented saying how alike I write the characters to their characterization in the show, it just warms my heart to read that. So, without further ado, here's the chapter!**

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**Chapter 5: Guilt**

Ben sat at the dinner table, a combination of exhaustion and frustration making him unable to find the need to eat something. It was the anxious worry gnawing at his stomach that held back his hunger for the time being, however, as it came with being alive once more, he knew he needed to eat. And so, he forced food in his mouth, but he couldn't find the energy to really care for the taste.

"How is your food, Ben?" Grace smiled from where she was still washing dishes.

He thought about getting up and helping her but stayed put for the time being. "It's good." He managed to mumble out, "Thanks, Mom." The robotic woman flashed a smile, warming the boy's heart for a moment.

She turned back to the sink. "You've got to eat all of that if you hope to grow up big and strong." Grace reminded him before stopping, "Ben, have you seen Klaus?" The boy's name startled him, food clogging up his windpipe as he violently choked. He coughed it up within the minute, however, it couldn't stop his sudden heart pounding out of his chest as well as the guilt sinking in his stomach. His mom gave Ben a worried look, silently staring with the water from the sink still running. "Ben?" She called again.

He rubbed his throat, trying to soothe the burn that lingered there. Tears brimmed his bottom lids from his violent coughing. Ben collected himself before responding to her in a hoarse voice, "He's not here right now."

Grace blinked once before nodding, trying to flash a large smile, "Well, I'll leave a plate for him when he comes back."

Ben's face fell, looking down at his own plate, "Mom…"

"Yes?" She didn't turn to look at him this time.

"Klaus won't be home tonight… I don't think." His voice died off at the end, a heartbroken gleam in his eyes. It hurt him to say that, to admit out loud that he had failed his brother.

"Well, that's alright." The robot stated with a cheery voice, turning off the sink and wiping her hands on her apron. She turned around, a soft look on her perfect face, "I'll prepare his favorite meal when he returns."

"Yeah…" Ben nodded, standing up and walking away from the table. He felt like a – as ironically as it might sound – a ghost of his former self zapped of all energy.

The black-haired boy made his way to the bar, walking around it and thumbing the bottles underneath the booth. He pushed and probed a few, watching with disinterest as the liquid inside jiggled and swirled. For a moment, he considered doing what Luther had done in the previous timeline, just drowning himself in liquid fire. It was a moment of discouraging thoughts and failure, guilt and pain over losing his brother – if he was even lost; the video footage he saw only an hour prior to now definitely made it _seem _like Klaus wasn't even lost.

Ben swallowed and turned his back to the alcohol, deciding that now wasn't exactly the perfect time for a drink. He leaned against the counter, gazing up at the glass display behind the bar. In this bout of silence, the boy tried to think of what had happened to his previously estranged brother.

Klaus was dedicated to his sobriety, promised Ben that he was. He believed him, but should he? From what he's read, druggies with default on their abstinence more than a dozen times before actually achieving true sobriety. Klaus – before they had gone back in time due to the apocalypse – had only been sober for two whole days and then they were children. For weeks, everyone was just happy to be alive and it was amazing to see his brother wade through this happy-go-lucky feeling for just a while with a clear head.

Even when the cravings came back in the form of haunted memories when all Klaus wanted to do was to be numb once more, Number Four would turn to his brother and just grin, telling Ben, _"I promise I'm won't."_

And he believed him, _still _believes _him_.

"You going to stare at the wall all day or are you going to serve someone?"

Ben jumped, turning around completely to stare at who'd said that. He sighed heavily, "Hey, Five."

"Yeah, good evening to you as well." There was an underlying bout of bitterness and sarcasm, maybe. Ben sometimes has a hard time telling what his brother's thinking.

"So, you wanted a drink?" The dark-haired boy asked, motioning to the bottles underneath the counter.

Five nodded, laying his head on his fist, watching his brother with a keen eye. "Whiskey if we have any." He informed quickly. Ben moved with a bit more purpose, squatting to the floor to read the labels before reappearing with the bottle. He pulled a glass out for the time-traveler, filling it a decent amount before sliding it towards Five. "Thanks." The boy's mouth quirked up in a half-grin before downing it quickly.

"Any reason for the drink?" Ben inquired, a bit suspicious.

Five shook his head, "None at all." He shook the glass, a knowing question in his eyes as he set it down. Without a word, he set to filling it up again. This time his brother took the time to swirl it around, taking sips instead of guzzling it. "So," Number Five started out, looking over the edge of his glass, "any leads on Klaus yet?"

Ben's face paled a bit, eyes dropping to the alcohol again, "Not yet."

"Except for the video footage." Five mumbled out, taking a large gulp out of the whiskey.

"Yeah." His mouth felt like it was full of lead, "Did Diego tell you about that?"

"Yep." There was an extension on the 'e', the other boy drawling it out with a hint of annoyance, "He's trying to convince us that we should just wait until Klaus comes back."

Ben's eyes darkened, narrowing a bit, "And what if he doesn't?"

Five gave his brother a look, quiet on his side for the moment. He sipped at his alcoholic beverage for a bit before clearing his throat of the burn. "Look, Klaus is an idiot, but he still has some brain cells left in there." Before Ben could retaliate against the statement, Five raised his hand, "However, I've come to find that Klaus has a bit of… survivor's luck."

"Survivor's luck?"

"Yes, in which Klaus finds that he has ways of escaping from whatever's got him." The boy motioned with his hands, finishing his drink quickly, "In the past, it was just being a junkie and using drugs to escape his mental problems. His kidnapping, of course, is a perfect example of this. He just doesn't die, always gets away by the skin of his teeth."

Ben stewed in his brother's words for a long while, unconsciously filling up the other boy's drink once more. Five didn't bother thanking him, moving the glass straight to his mouth, his third one tonight. "Do you think he's okay?" Ben managed to whisper out after a while.

Five stopped from drowning himself in the liquid fire for a moment, setting it down to think. He gazed down in the golden deliciousness. "Yeah." He stated before meeting his brother's gaze, "Yeah, he'll be okay. Give it time, maybe, and things will work out themselves."

He nodded before putting away the whiskey, deciding that his brother has had enough for the night. "Five?"

"Hm?" The other boy gurgled out, mid-sip.

Ben fidgeted behind the counter, "Do you think I should stop looking for Klaus?"

"No." Five spoke almost too quickly for the black-haired boy to comprehend, "You're going to stress yourself to death if you stop now. You and Klaus have a stronger connection than anyone here at the house. It's a bond that you don't see very often." He looked at his glass, finishing it off quickly before continuing. "Look, I don't know how you died or what you and Klaus did after your death but because of all that, it would be hard for you to let go of him. He's been the only one who could talk to you for almost thirteen years after your death." Five shrugged, "I wouldn't stop looking for Klaus if I had that connection with them."

He nodded, more for himself than for the boy in front of him, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Five slid off the bar stool, moving to leave the room, "When you get up tomorrow to look again, come find me. Two eyes are better than one."

"Yeah, okay." Ben blinked in surprise, watching him walk out of the room. He could feel a grateful smile climb onto his lips, something he really couldn't stop as a bout of emotion flooded through him.


	6. One Step at a Time

**A/N – So, I'm not very happy with this chapter despite it being a bit longer than the previous chapters I've posted. I'm just not sure how to describe what's happened in this chapter other than what I've been able to spit out. If you have any questions about what just happened in this chapter, just ask so that I'll know what I'll need to clarify when I go back and edit all these chapters once the story is completed. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 6: One Step at a Time**

Ben knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He should have expected that he and Five wouldn't find Klaus that easily just because there were two of them now. Even as he laid in bed that night – it was almost eleven when they finally decided to go to their respective rooms after their failed search – Ben's mind was still running. His stomach was knotted, and he was running out of air, too hooked on the worry gnawing at him.

"_Where are you, Klaus?" _He found himself thinking this single phrase almost as a mantra throughout the day.

At first, Ben and Five had stuck together, moving to different locations throughout the city in hopes of finding him. However, by noon, his brother suggested splitting up since they could cover more ground like that – Five went downtown while Ben was instructed to move up the road. The two promised to meet up at about six for dinner at a diner they saw during their search. This meet up would be a way for each other to fill in the other boy about what they'd found or if there had been any new leads.

Plus, with one brother missing, both needed this check in to make sure another one hadn't disappeared. However, Ben almost wished that Five hadn't come with him at all. It wasn't for another other reason than that his brother had found something, something of Klaus'.

His phone.

It was completely dead and neither Number brothers had thought about being their chargers as they had full charges on their own phones. Though, now probably would have been a good time for it. Five and Ben chatted for a while over dinner about what they should do now. Their options were to go back home and wait for the phone to charge or stay out longer in hopes that Klaus might be close – both didn't sound as appealing to their current situation. After a long while of debating over a plate of shared fries and a cheeseburger or two, they compromised somewhat.

Ben was actually the basis for the idea, asking if Five would go back to the house via teleportation with the phone and set it to charge before coming back and continuing their search for another few hours. This way they could still have time to check out the area where his brother found Klaus' phone before heading back home to check what's actually on it. Number Five agreed almost instantaneously, having gotten up from his seat to move between spaces in the world before coming back within the minute only this time the phone wasn't in his possession.

They finished their meal quickly, paying for it before heading over to the location of Klaus' phone. The time-traveling boy explained to Ben on their walk over there that he had found the phone in the bike lane of the streets. It didn't look like anyone had touched it or even noticed that a perfectly good phone was there, but there was one thing that was certain, it was definitely dropped.

"Could he have been a hurry?" Ben had asked his brother. The shrug that came next was definitely _not _an answer, but it would have to do for now.

The two Number brothers looked up and down the streets for quite some time. They searched down alleyways and in the surrounding park, only stopping when the streets had cleared of people as the moon rose to play dance with the street lights. Exhausted and more than frustrated, both Five and Ben agreed to walk home to check the phone that was almost positively charged by now. However, home still didn't give them any answers either.

The phone was interesting to say the least, but it was a bust as well. There were several calls between Klaus and an unsaved number for about three weeks leading up to their brother's disappearance before the calls just stop altogether. While it was weird, Ben couldn't really find anything against it. Klaus used to tell him that he'd call random numbers when he found himself getting lonely or simply needed to get out of his head for a while. It was possible that this was just a number that he kept calling for whatever reasons.

Five, though, found this explanation completely absurd and continued to dive through Klaus' found. There were a few photos on the phone and, despite everything that was happening right now, Five and Ben found themselves highly amused by the ones Klaus decided to take.

The first one was of Vanya playing her violin, taken from the hallway. The photo that followed it almost immediately was taken in her room, the girl smiling against the instrument, eyes squinted in delight. There was some time between Vanya's photos and the next – it was Diego passed out on the couch, mouth hanging wide open with a fluffy pink blanket laid over him. Five sent that particular photo to himself using Klaus' number, saying that it could be good blackmail material for later.

Ben rolled his eyes at that, finding it amusing and simply moving to the next one. It was of their mother smiling brightly at the camera, hands clasped in front of her in a proper pose. He sent that one to Diego and himself before clicking over once more. Luther and Allison looked like they had been snuggling up against each other on the couch, face reddened and turned around to look at the camera. Klaus had obviously surprised them with the photo if their shocked faces were anything to go by. Ben snorted at their faces before going to the last one.

It was taken three weeks before Klaus' disappearance and it was honestly such a golden photo. His eyes moved to himself, faced stuffed with pancakes with syrup practically everywhere. Ben grinned, heart warmed by the sight before glancing at the back, nearly bursting out with a laugh. He immediately showed it to his brother. Five was in the back of the photo, tipping an entire bottle of vodka into his mouth and downing it without a care in the world. His brother shrugged, "Not a bad idea."

Although the two brothers found some happiness in their search, it still didn't distract them from their main task: finding Klaus. So, they went back through everything they've learned over the last day and a half. They even looked back through the phone one last time in hopes of finding something new.

Nothing.

Absolutely _nothing_.

The only ones who decided to check in on them when they returned home that night were Grace – who offered the Number brothers snacks and beverages of all kinds – and Pogo who looked just as distraught as Ben felt over Klaus. The rest of their siblings steered clear of the bar, neither brother seeing any of them.

It wasn't for an several hours after the phone incident that Five finally decided to call it a night, eleven o'clock just around the corner. They chatted about what they should try to pursue the following morning before parting ways, each boy going to his own respective room.

And so, that's where Ben finds himself now, lying in his bed with his mind running about.

He's spent almost an hour already trying to fall asleep, but he can't, not with such scattered puzzle pieces to a mystery he hasn't even started on filling his head to the brim. The boy feels completely useless and at the mercy of life's cold hands. Ben wades through the waters of consciousness and unconsciousness, his anxious stomach doing flips with anxiety.

And when he _does _fall asleep, it's a fitful one and leaves him more exhausted than when he'd gone to bed that night.

He dreams of Klaus, of what life was like before death and then his new life after death, the life he spent tailing his estranged brother for almost twelve years. And there is someone calling his name, someone just out of reach pleading towards him, but Ben can't hear what they're saying – they're just too far away.

And then, just like that, the noises are suddenly _way _too close to his ears and dream him tries to back away as quickly as he can, eyes shut in fear of death climbing back to grab him with their cold dead hands. But the noises keep coming, morphing into words but Ben can't understand them. "Go away!" He shouts at them.

"Open your eyes!" They call back to him, voice finally acknowledgeable, morphing to have a masculine tone. Number Six struggled against himself, taking in frightened breath, senses dialed up to eleven at this point. Loud, everything was too _loud_. "Ben!" They shouted at him again, a hint of pleading in their voice, "Ben! Ben! _Benny_!"

Benny.

Benny…

He opened his eyes, the dreamlike world he was in almost completely white, sinking down into a dark depression underneath him. Ben looked at his hands, the ghostly appearance he had after his death showing up again. The younger body he was in when they went back in time was gone now, replaced with the appearance he held before the apocalypse. Although he found it cool, the man searched the area around him for what had disturbed him so, floating aimlessly about.

"Benny." There was a voice behind him, said boy swiftly turning around as fast as he could. Ben sucked in a quick breath, eyes wide. Before him stood – or rather floated – an adult Klaus. There was happiness dancing in his eyes, body slouching a bit in relief. His shirt exposed his belly, vulgar writing on it, which was paired with skin tight black jeans and that stupid flamboyant jacket he liked to wear all the time. He took a step towards his brother, "I can't believe you actually heard me."

"Heard you…?" Ben looked back at his hands, seeing as how they'd gotten smaller and held a soft look to them. He put a hand to his cheek, shocked at feeling the baby face he had at thirteen – he was back to be a boy again, terribly afraid and alone. Not alone, he reminded himself, glancing up to stare at his brother.

Except Klaus wasn't an adult either.

He had reverted back to thirteen as well, but there's something wrong with him. There's dried blood coming from his nose and his face is black and blue. There are bruises showing up around his throat and his brother looks to be limping, practically leaning against an imaginary wall in this imaginary world. Despite the pain flashing in his eyes, Klaus grins, "Yeah, you heard me."

"This is a dream." Ben finds himself saying.

Klaus shook his head, "No, it's not."

"But, this world doesn't exist." He stated, "You don't exist here – you're not real."

The boy limped over to him, dragging his hurt foot along with him. Slowly but surely making his way over to Ben. He stared up into the boy's brown eyes, fear evident in Klaus' own ones. "Please, you have to believe me." Klaus whispered out, voice wavering, "You saw the video, you _have _to believe me."

Ben held onto his shaking brother, "Video? What video?"

His face fell, head falling forward, "I _knew _he wouldn't watch the video."

"Who wouldn't?" He tried.

"Our dear Father." Klaus pulled away for a moment, bitterness in his voice, "They sent a video…"

"Who's they?"

His brother took a few steps back, wrapping an arm around himself, "Are any of you even _looking _for _me_?"

"Looking for you…?" Ben blinked, mind whirling back from the information being given to him before starting up again, "Of course, we're looking for you! Five and I were all over the city trying to find where you went off to. All we found was your phone."

"I dropped it when they came for me." Klaus stated with an apologetic tone of voice.

"Who's they?" Ben asked again, desperate for information. The world was swirling – does that mean he's going to wake up soon?

"_They _are three men and one woman. I don't know all their names yet, but one of the guys calls himself Alex," He stated out quickly, "I don't think that's his real name, though."

Number Six froze, the dream world suddenly _way _too cold, "You… You were kidnapped?"

Klaus looked into his brother's eyes, "Yeah…"

"Wait, but… then how are you talking to me right now?" Ben asked frantically.

"I… I don't know. I remember falling asleep and…" He looked away for a moment, "I was desperate, you know, and I was just kind-of begging any of you to just… come find me, to answer my call for help, I guess…"

"Do you know where you are?" He asked, glancing all around as the darkness was starting to close in.

Klaus shook his head, "Not the exact location, but I'm being held in this garage on a street. I didn't get the street name… sorry."

"No, no that's okay. Five and I can work with that." Ben gave an uneasy smile before remembering something, "Wait, you said something about a video? What's that all about?"

"Oh." His face paled, "They beat me up on camera and sent it to Dad. I'm being held for ransom."

Ben's eyes widened before anger took over him, "I'm going to find you, Klaus, I promise! I'm going to bring you home!"

Klaus gave an uneasy smile, "I know. Don't take too long, okay? I'm really getting on these guys' nerves."

He didn't get the chance to respond, shot up in his bed, panting like he'd just run a mile. Ben was wide awake now, shaking in the coolness of his bedroom simply reeling from what had just happened. There was a part of him that wanted to believe that this was real, but there was a slim chance that he might have just dreamt this all up.

However, there was no disputing the fact that Ben needed to tell someone no matter what time it was. Ben climbed out of bed and moved towards Five's room, intent on waking up the boy with more information even if it wasn't real.

After all, Ben had promised, and he doesn't go back on his promises.

***I would like to note something before someone says something in the comments. I never actually checked to see what year in which they were kids so cellular devices like Klaus' phone might not have been a thing, but this is an alternate universe so let's just say that it is a thing that can happen. It's not a smartphone if that's what you're thinking, more along the lines of a chargeable flip phone. Thanks for checking in with endnote***


	7. Era of Doubt

**A/N – Sorry for the late chapter, but I got pretty sick for a while and it really kicked my ass. Well, he's is the next chapter and it's a bit longer as well. The next one will probably be out tomorrow as it just needs some editing and a part added in before posting.**

**Also, I would like to thank .knifes for translating this story into Russian! So, for all you readers that are Russian or can read Russian better than English, go head over to ficbook (.net) to read the translated version. Here's the link (not sure if it will work so please forgive me) **** ficbook readfic / 7970525 (remove spaces).**

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**Chapter 7: Era of Doubt**

Ben raced to his brother's room, clothed feet not making much noise against the wood. He slid past the door, momentum almost sending him to the floor. The boy quickly arranged himself in front of Five's door, opening it without even knocking. "F-Five!" He tried whispering out, voice hurried with exasperation, "Five! Wake up!" Ben moved to shake the boy awake, but stopped when he saw his brother's eyes start to flutter open.

"Geez, Ben, it's," Dark eyes moved to the clock, "almost five in the morning. I know we said we'd get up early to find Klaus, but _this _is not what I meant."

"It's _about_ Klaus." He stated, eyes wide, "I spoke with him."

Five, at this point, was already starting to sit up. He flicked on the light, rubbing his eyes of sleep. "What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow, stifling a yawn, "You spoke with him…? If you spoke with him that means he's not missing anymore so, if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."

"No, no, _no_! Five, you have to listen to me!" Ben's hands flashed in front of him, desperation in his eyes.

Number Five furrowed his eyebrows together, eyes keen on searching his brother's face. He groaned after a moment of silence, climbing out of bed, "Fine, but I need a cup of coffee before you waste my time."

"Waste your _time_?!" The other boy's eyes were wide in shock, anger replacing it after a moment, "I'm not going to-"

The time-traveler raised a hand, sighing, "Coffee first." Five didn't wait for an answer, moving down the stairs lethargically. He yawned more than a few times. He wouldn't let his brother speak until the warm mug of black coffee was against his lips and they were situated at the dinner table. He motioned with a hand for the other boy to go on.

Ben stirred, a wild and antsy look in his eyes, "Well, I had a dream-"

"Oh, great." Five mumbled out over his coffee cup.

"But it wasn't a dream – Klaus was there and he-"

He took a long sip, stopping himself from guzzling it, "If you woke me up just to tell me a dream you had last night, I'm not interested."

"_Five_!" Ben's voice was loud and more than exasperated, "Can you just give me the benefit of the doubt on this?"

The time-traveler rubbed his eyes again, huffing quietly. He set the cup down on the table, the quiet _clink _echoing in the mostly silent room. "Fine." He mumbled out, eyes leveling on his brother.

"Alright, so Klaus was there, and he said it wasn't a dream." Ben tried not to see the look the other boy sent him, "He told me he's been taken by three men and a woman – um… he said one of the guy's name is… Allen… No that's not right it has an 'e' in it – oh! _Alex_. Alex is the guy's name."

"Okay." Five stated, the only indicator that he was actually listening to him.

The black-haired boy thought for a moment, "They apparently sent a video to Dad – something about ransom, I think. The dream is kind of fading."

Five leaned forwards, a spark of interest in his eyes, "If any of this is true, then how did Klaus reach you?"

The other boy shrugged, a chuckle of exasperation on his tongue, "I don't _know_ – it was a very surreal experience for me."

The time-traveler glared a hole into the table, eyes glazed over in concentration. "Well," He started, "it is possible for Klaus to have developed a new power under severe circumstances. I mean, I whole-heartedly doubt that his abilities stop at seeing and being able to talk to ghosts." Ben nodded, both in acknowledgement and agreement. Five gulped down most of his drink before looking at his brother, "How's Klaus?"

"When I saw him in the dream, he had these bruises." Ben looked down at his hands, opening and closing them slowly, "He told me that they were beating him up on camera. I'm not sure how badly though."

"Well, shit." Five huffed out, finishing off his coffee without much haste, "So, let's say that all this is true. Klaus has been kidnapped and I think we can assume that the number in his phone is Alex or one of his other kidnappers. That means that there is a tape somewhere in this house."

"Klaus said that the video was for Dad." Ben stated out quickly, a bit of hope in his eyes, "Does that mean it might be in his study?"

"Most definitely. Pogo almost always gets the mail from the door and gives it to our _dear_ Father every day – there's no way it's _not _in his study." The time-traveler stood up, placing his cup in the sink before turning back around, "Do you have any idea of where Klaus could be? Did he give you any hints at all?"

Ben nodded quickly, "Said he was being held in a garage on a street."

"That's it?"

"Yeah…"

Five scratched the back of his head, "Well, it's not much to go on but-"

"Five? Ben?" A quiet voice called from the stairs. Both boys looked up to see their sister standing there, rubbing her eyes like she hadn't slept much. "What are you two doing up?" Vanya asked quietly.

"It's none of your concerns, Vanya." There was no bite to Five's voice, "We just have some business we need to take care of."

The brunette blinked once before making her way towards them, practically tip-toeing against the creaky wooden floors. Vanya smoothed her hair back, making eye contact with Ben, "Is this about Klaus? Is he okay?"

Ben looked to his brother as if he needed permission to speak about it, getting a nod from Five. The boy sighed heavily, shoulders slumped inwards, "He's been kidnapped."

Vanya's eyes widened, "W-What?!" Her voice was elevated just a bit.

The time-traveling boy hissed at her, "Be _quiet_. We're about to go sneak into Dad's study so you need to shut up."

"Sneak into- are you both _crazy_?!" The brunette glowered at them, hands raised in the air in exasperation, "He'll kill you guys if you even mess with the door handle!"

"Yeah, but Klaus is in danger." Ben pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "His kidnappers sent a video a-and Dad _has _to have it."

Vanya crossed her arms, deep in thought for only a moment, "How do you know?"

"What?"

"How do you know that there's a video?" She asked once more.

"We don't know." Five stated out flatly, "Ben over here dreamt of Klaus telling him a bunch of things, so we're going to try to find the video because Klaus told him that there was one."

Vanya sighed, rubbing her temples, "So, this is all speculations?" Her voice was indifferent, non-believing and Ben would be lying if he said it didn't hurt to hear that.

"Yes." He said, already making his way to the stairs, "And… And if there is no video then… then I'm sorry for wasting your time." Five and Vanya watched him for only a moment more than necessary before moving to follow their brother.

"Do you know what's on the video?" Vanya asked after a moment of silence.

Ben shrunk from the question, hands balling into fists. Five moved to walk beside her, voice level and collected, "It's a ransom video where they torture him."

"Oh God…" She moved to cover her mouth with her hand, glancing between the two of them, "Don't you think we should tell everyone about this?"

"Well," Ben started, creeping along the upstairs area as quietly as he could, "we don't even know if there's a video yet so might as well just keep it to ourselves for the time being."

Five turned to her, "Welcome to the team." There was a ghost of a smile on his face.

Vanya huffed, "Not sure if I should say thanks or go back to bed."

"You can if you want to, I won't stop you." The smallest of the children stated, "I'm not asking you to help, but I would definitely appreciate it."

"Then I'll stay." She said without a moment's notice.

The three children fell silent, creeping along the hallways towards the study. Their father would have already been in bed almost four hours prior to their early morning walk so the three wouldn't have to worry about walking in on the older man. Vanya was the first at the double doors, trying to open them but found them locked. She gave a look to her brother, Five taking the hint and easily teleporting into the room.

An almost silent _click _allowed the door to open, the two remaining Number children making their way inside. They shut the door in case someone came looking for them. Without a word, Ben made his move towards their father's desk, opening and closing drawers in hopes of finding a tape somewhere. Five searched in the mail slots Sir Reginald had in his study where he kept years' worth of important mail. Vanya spent most of her time back and forth between the room, looking through everything she could get her hands on.

"Hey," Five started, getting his siblings attention, "Look for anything that is handwritten or in a cheap envelope – it'll be one of those large yellow ones in order to hold the shape of a tape."

"Got it." Vanya confirmed, Ben only nodding in response.

The three Number children tried not to completely destroy their father's study, knowing that he'd be absolutely furious with them. While years of growing up in the future had given the kids a sense of independency from their father's reign, with children bodies, it made it hard to overpower the man. So, they kept the mess to a minimum, everyone moving around in odd shapes whilst trying not to get in each other's way.

"Hey, I've got something." Number Seven whispered out, pulling out the top of a shredded yellow envelope. The body of it was completely missing, only the top part where their father might have ripped it to get to the content inside. "I'm not sure if this means that there _is _a tape or if it's something completely unrelated." She sighed out, handing it over to Ben.

He searched it, turning it over in his hands, "Do you think he watched it?"

"He might have." Five agreed, nodding his head somewhat, "I say we go check the security room for any stray tapes because I don't think we're going to find anything else in the study."

"Yeah." Ben mumbled out, throwing the yellow envelope piece in the garbage.

The three left the study, going back downstairs where the security room was. They didn't waste any time, Ben taking the lead this time towards the room. The sun was starting to rise – six o'clock was probably just around the corner – which meant that everyone would start waking up soon.

Ben opened the door, staring at the cold, black monitors that had been turned off for the night. He clicked on a few without so much a word to the others, as if _sure _they would find the tape. However, it didn't take much to look through the small room. No stray tapes had been left out in the open and none of the slots for them held anything of value.

"Ben." Vanya's voice was soft and pitiful, "There's nothing here."

"No, there has to be _something_!" His voice was frantic, nearly throwing stuff of the dusty shelf. He looked at them, stuttering to stop, "Well, you're not going to find anything if you're both just standing there."

Five took a step towards him, uncrossing his arms, "Ben, there's _nothing_. Your dream was probably just… a dream."

"No, it wasn't." Ben's eyes watered, "Why do you all hate Klaus so much?! Why can't you just-"

"_Ben." _Five's eyes were dark, an unseen emotion flashing in his eyes, "You need to calm down and _listen_." The other boy looked away, swiping his eyes. "We don't hate Klaus. I would give my _life _for him." He said this with such confidence that Ben almost believed him, "But you have to understand that neither Vanya or I have any idea what's going on. We didn't get to speak with Klaus or see what you saw."

"Benefit of the doubt." He hissed out quietly, moving away from the shelf.

"I _gave _you that." Five insisted, hand reaching out to his brother's shoulder, "Look let's just regroup and talk everything out again, get some food in our stomachs while we're at it."

Ben's eyes were distant and downcast, "Fine…"

"Alright, then." He whispered out before turning to Vanya, "You want something to eat?"

"Yeah." She mumbled out, already moving to the kitchen.

"Ben?"

"Sure." The other boy nodded, leaving the room quickly. He wasn't hungry at all, stomach twisting up in coils that churned around in circles. His heart was crushed between his ribcage, a sense of guilt filling him to the brim. Klaus needed him, he was so _sure _of it, of _everything_.

And it hurts that no one believes him.

If Klaus was here, he'd believe him… he always did.


	8. Replay My Memory

**A/N – As promised, here is the next chapter one day after the previous one was posted! This chapter actually hurt my feelings a bit and I hope that you all will find the same from my writing as well. I also want to take the time to thank everyone, again, for the support and likeness to this story. I'm going to say this now, but we don't actually have that many chapters left in this story. It's probably going to end in about two or four chapters, so look forward to it soon. Thank you for coming back to the story!**

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**Chapter 8: Replay My Memory**

Despite agreeing to breakfast, the only one who ate anything actually labeled 'breakfast' was Five. The boy had quietly made himself another cup of coffee and scrambled himself some eggs. He made even for at least four people, just in case someone wanted an extra serving. He didn't ask if either of his siblings wanted some nor did he force them to eat.

Vanya was at least a bit appreciative of the food her brother made by taking a small portion for herself. She was never one to miss out on meals, but she always found that she wasn't that hungry, pushing around the scrambled eggs around on the plate. The protein would be good for her, Vanya mused to herself and put some in her mouth, but it only tasted like mush. It held no real taste – it might have tasted amazing as everything Five makes does, but with the way her mind twisted in thought, she couldn't get over the lack of taste in her mouth.

And Ben?

Ben hadn't gotten up from his seat at the kitchen table, eyes glazed over and cloudy with thought. He was slumped in on himself, stoically sitting there without a word to the other two. Vanya and Five shot each other look, practically willing the other one to say something. Though, neither one ever did. The silence plagued the three Number children, consuming them in its everlasting shroud of darkness.

Five moved the eggs around on his plate, spooning some in his mouth. There was still about a quarter left but he just couldn't stomach it. His mind kept going back to what Ben said: _"Why do you all hate Klaus so much?!" _He set the plate off to the side and moving to reach for his cup of coffee, letting the warmth consume his insides. Five tried to assure himself that he cared for Klaus, that he really _would _risk his life for Number Four.

He knows deep down that he hasn't exactly been the best brother to Klaus. Five constantly berated the other on practically everything, only giving him an ounce of respect when the time-traveler was in desperate need of something, only when he needed to use Klaus for something. It had never occurred to him that Ben probably saw all this when he'd been dead, saw how horrible Five was to the only person who could see Number Six in the afterlife.

Five guzzled the coffee, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He had slapped Klaus' hand away when it looked like the man at the time had just wanted to protect him, a brotherly instinct taking over Klaus. The time-traveler berated him for his drug addiction, something he's now come to understand through his own personal apocalypse addiction as his brother had pointed out once. Five had yelled at him when he came back from 1968 absolutely mentally, physically, and emotionally tortured from his time in Vietnam – it was over a stupid _briefcase_.

But he never thought that Ben could have been there. No one did. Everyone forgot that Ben existed after the boy's death. Everyone forgot that Klaus could see the dead, only seeing a deadbeat junkie that they only cared about when he really fucked up and it usually took a lot to get to that point. They didn't even notice when he'd been kidnapped by Cha-Cha and Hazel!

Five froze, looking down at the black darkness swirling in his cup. He's doubting his brother's dream, that he saw Klaus kidnapped and tortured. The boy _wants _to believe, but there isn't much evidence and Five has always been a man – more like a prepubescent boy – of logic. He had hypothesized that Klaus' appearance in a dream might have been a new power, but there's no evidence of power evolution. None of his other siblings have had something like that – unless you count Luther, but that was actually the doing of their father rather than an actual evolution – so why Klaus?

And why can't Five believe Ben's story?

He peeked up at the other boy, Ben has moved to press his hand against his face, his palm being the only thing keeping his head up. The dark-haired boy's face was pale and disinterested but there was an underlying of pain and anger in his eyes, Five could see it as plain as day. There was a twisting of an emotion pulsating underneath his skin, something that the time-traveler had never felt. It made his throat tighten and his heart sinks to his stomach.

Five got up from his seat, moving to dump the rest of his scrambled eggs in the trash. Vanya eyed at him from the sudden movement before going back to picking at her own food. He didn't blame her for it, he'd just been doing it not even five minutes. The boy was at the trash can in seconds, pressing his foot to the pedal that would open the lid for him. He was about to just dump his eggs when something yellow caught his eye. Five set down his plate on the counter and reached his hands in, eyes widening.

"Ben…" His voice was shaky, holding a large yellow envelop with its contents still inside it. Five looked up at his brother and sister staring at him with equally shocked faces. He took a step towards them, shakily putting his hands in and grabbed the rectangular object inside. A tape. "Ben, I'm sorry." Five choked out, staring his brother in the eyes, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Ben stood up from his seat, moving to stand in front of Number Five. He shakily reached for the tape, his brother easily handing it over to him. The boy blinked back tears, the boxy object shaking in his palms. "Klaus was right." His voice was just above a whisper, the only thing he'd said in a while.

Five's eyes fell to the floor, "Yeah, yeah he was…"

"Thank you." Ben stated, a small flash of a smile appearing on his face, "And you're forgiven."

The other boy sighed in relief just as Vanya stood up to complete their circle. "So," She started, voice shaky, "are we going to watch it?"

"Yes." Five stated a little somberly, "There might be some clues in it that'll help us find him."

"I didn't even think about that," Vanya admitted.

"Didn't think about what?" A voice called from the bottom of the stairs. All heads swiveled simultaneously, staring at the newcomer.

"Good morning, Diego." The only girl in the room greeted politely.

The knife-user made his way over to the three, towering over them, "So, what's up?"

"It's none of your business." Ben hissed out, hands clutching the tape close to him.

Diego caught sight of it before sighing, "Really? You're still messing with the security tapes? Ben, we saw Klaus leave the house. He just probably got high and got picked up by an ambulance – I bet he's at rehab right about now."

His eyebrows furrowed together, a large bout of anger present in his chest, "And that doesn't bother you?!"

"What?"

"It doesn't bother you if Klaus overdoses and _dies_?!" Ben pointed out, practically fuming. The benefits of having a tangible body and voice meant that he was finally allowed to knock some sense into his siblings.

"Ben." Diego huffed out, rubbing the back of his neck, "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that he's falling back into old habits."

"He didn't _fall back into old habits_, Diego," Number Six hissed out, "he got _kidnapped_."

All color drained from the boy's face. Something played in his eyes, maybe an old memory or something. The knife-user lowered his head, hand coming up to rub his eyes. "I'm sorry." He mumbled out.

"Don't apologize to me." Ben stated, already moving to the security room, "Apologize to Klaus when we get him back." Five and Vanya shared a look before moving to follow their brother.

Diego picked up his pace, running up to walk beside the previously dead boy, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ben thought about shooting down the offer, simply telling the other boy to _fuck off_ because he didn't want his help after everything he's said these few days. However, he's still his brother and that meant more than anything he told Ben. It says a lot to have Diego asking to help rather than someone forcing him into their little bubble of concern. "Help us pick out clues from this tape we're about to watch." He stated after a moment of silence.

Vanya placed a hand against Diego's shoulder, squeezing the tissue slightly, "Prepare yourself some."

"What?"

Five crossed his arms, eyes dark, "His kidnappers sent of video of them torturing him." Diego's heart fell at his brother's words, shoulders squaring as he marched into the security room. He tried to still any emotion on his face, but he hadn't ever been one to hide his true feelings – it played easily in his dark eyes.

Diego was the first to enter, followed by Vanya and then the other two Number children. They huddled around the screens twisting in static. Ben sat at the only chair available, slipping the tape into one of the open slots. There was a moment of stunned silence as they waited for it to click into place.

And then there was a blinding light, colors starting to rapidly appear out of nowhere.

In the middle of the frame was a hand with a ski mask over his face, standing threateningly behind Klaus. He had the boy's arms behind his back and from the wide-eyed, furrowed brow look he was sporting, the Number kids could only guess that that position was painful for him. Vanya placed a hand over her mouth, eyes glued to the screen. Klaus was leaning all of his weight against one of his legs, the other just barely touching the ground. They could only assume that he'd been hurt prior to the video recording.

"Sir Reginald Hargreeves, how nice of you to join in." There was a cackle coming from the man standing in the middle.

"I think that's Alex." Ben's whispered out, "Klaus made it seem like he was the one in charge." The others nodded slightly in response, no one really wanting to interrupt the footage.

"As you can see so plainly in front of you, we seem to have your son." Alex jostled the boy a bit for emphasis; Klaus sent the man a dirty look, "If you ever want to see him again, you'll listen to every word I say."

"Fuck off." Number Four breathed out.

"Why would you say that?" Diego's voice rushed out, hands balled into fists.

Alex's face screwed up, as indicated by his eyes which were the only things the Number kids could see through the ski mask. He threw Klaus to the floor, kicking him in the abdomen, "Keep _quiet_."

The boy hissed, hands finally free again. He lifted himself up, staring up at the man from the floor. He laid a hand over his abdomen, glancing at the camera. "He's not going to give you what you want." Klaus stated, "I doubt he'll even watch this video."

The man took two large steps towards him, grabbing Klaus by his curly locks and pulling him up off the floor roughly. He dragged the stumbling child closer to the camera. "Now you listen here," Alex growled out, eyes leveling against the camera, "if you don't send five million dollars to the address we are sending with this video, we'll _kill_ him."

"_NO_!" Vanya's voice was high-pitched and fearful, tears already clouding her eyes. Five placed a reassuring hand against her back, smoothing out the wrinkles in her shirt.

Klaus struggled against the man's hold. His eyes found the camera lenses, showing just how petrified he was. He took his moment there to whisper out only a single word, "_Ben_." Said boy choked, hands gripping against the desk in front of him.

Alex grinned from underneath his mask, the movement translating slightly in the material. "And, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, if you don't believe me, watch this." He snapped his fingers, two other men joining him in the frame. The three dragged Klaus away from the camera and more into the light. Of course, the boy struggled profusely, spouting out curses that would make most soldiers flush. Every time his eyes caught the camera, his siblings could see just how scared he was.

Ben couldn't watch anymore, hands coming up to cover his eyes as he shut his eyes. Similarly, Vanya had turned away from the TV screens. Five's eyes were often caught between his three siblings and watching the scene unfolding on tape as the men mercilessly beat Klaus. It was only when they brought out a bat that he decided that consoling Vanya and Ben was as much as he could stomach for now.

As for Diego, he was completely stuck to the floor, body uncooperative as Klaus' piercing cries filled his head, the whir of something in the background. Blood spat out from his mouth as bruises already started to move against his skin. The men who hurt him cackled loudly as if this were some game. He couldn't find the strength to pry his eyes away.

Alex stepped away from the bloodied child, moving close to the camera. He stood off to the side in order to give the utmost view of the broken boy, a grin in his eyes. "Hurry, hurry, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, my boss doesn't like to wait." With that the video cut to static and everything was silent.

Diego took a deep breath, the video footage replaying in his head. He blinked a few times in thought when the memory served something that just didn't seem right. "Ben," He started, voice shaky, "start the video again."

"Wait?!" Ben startled to life, jumping out from his chair, "You want to see Klaus being beaten _again_?!"

"No, of course not!" Diego defended, "I just thought I heard something in the background, but I'm not sure what it was." Number Six swallowed, body shaking as he took his seat again. He reversed the video, making sure to only peek at it every now and then. "Stop." The taller boy commanded, leaning in close to the TV. He closed his eyes and listened.

He listened past the skin to skin hits and the sound of blood hitting concrete. The man moved to hear beyond the laughing and his brother's cry. Something was whirring in the background, loud and metallic. It was familiar and…

"Train tracks." Diego breathed out, "He's near trains!"

Ben jumped out of his seat again, the video shuts off again. "Are you sure?!" He asked, voice panicky.

"Yeah, yeah!" His words came out as a relieved laugh. Diego eyed his siblings who were all giving him appreciative smiles. Vanya's tears had since stopped and Five was no actively looking them in their eyes.

Ben ran a hand through his head, hope finally peaking within him. "We're going to find him." He whispered out, a relieved grin settling on his head, "We're actually going to get him back."

This was their chance.


	9. Number Kids

**A/N – I'm not all that happy with this chapter, it feels a bit rushed, but I couldn't find a way to make it sound better. And, as the end starts to approach, I feel as though I'm rushing it. Another thing, apologies for leaving this story and entering it with such a short chapter. I had to leave this story due to school, personal problems, and exams. Then I couldn't find the writing inspiration to continue the story until now since I've decided to take a break from "The Great Medic" which is a blessing in disguise. I plan on finishing the story in… maybe, less than five chapters. So, with that out of the way and without further ado, onto the chapter (again, sorry for the sad length, next chapter will be longer)!**

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**Chapter 9: Number Kids**

Ben, Diego, Vanya, and Five were happy to _finally _get some clues as to where their estranged brother might be. However, the actual act of cracking down on the specific location was a whole other story involving more than a few factors. Ben had tried pulling up a map of the local area, seeing if he could find any railroad crossings anywhere – that is if Alex and his goons stayed within the state. He tried not to think of that – Klaus had to be near home, he had to.

There were about sixteen railroad tracks entering and leaving Hamilton. The four siblings were frustrated; sixteen was too large of a number to truly locate Klaus. It didn't give them much to go off and it practically shot down their hopes for the time being. And, despite never wanting to hear Klaus' cries from the torture he was going through again for the second time in his life, the four Number children all crowded in the security room knew that they needed to watch the video again.

After all, there were no more clues to help them out and they knew they couldn't waste any more time or else Klaus might end up losing his life. So, for the very last time any of them could stomach, the four watched the video.

This time, there wasn't a shock factor to partner with the horror of finally seeing what had become of their brother. Instead, the four Number children let their eyes roam the screen in search of any blaring indicators that could help them locate Klaus. Other than a singular red and white sign in the back of the weird garage-type building that looked partially damaged from the elements – something about Motor was written on it. They had tried to get some more information from the sign but no one could differentiate what it said nor could they enhance the video footage at all, leaving them at a disadvantage of sorts. There wasn't much else from the video, nothing else standing out throughout it, well…

That's not entirely true. Without the shock factor, the siblings could clearly follow the line of conversation, hearing the words Alex had spouted: _"Now you listen here, if you don't send five million dollars to the address we are sending with this video, we'll kill him."_

Vanya startled from the words, head twisting in order to look at her brother, the short boy standing beside her, "Five?"

"Hm?"

"Was there anything else in the envelope?" She hastily asked, eyes desperate. The dark-haired boy turned the yellow envelope upside down before starting to violently shake it several times before sighing. No, there was no sheet of paper with an address. She peeked up at Numbers Two and Six, "You don't think that Klaus' kidnappers would… _forget _the paper, do you?"

"No, they wouldn't, not if they were holding someone for ransom." Diego responded easily, "As high school once taught me, glory, gold, and God – the three G's – motivate people more than anything else in the world. So, if they want money, that piece of paper would be _the _most important thing they send… besides the tape."

"That's true." Five stated, taking a step forward, standing in between the three of his siblings, a beacon of authority, "Which _means_ that we are going to have to go talk to our father about this."

"What, _why_?" Ben hastily asked, not really wanting to deal with the man after they'd ransacked his study, "Why do we need to talk with _him_?" Honestly, he was the last person the boy ever wanted to see.

His brother waved a hand, motioning to the security tapes as his eyes moved to it before glancing back at Ben. "Dad threw away the tape – that's more than enough proof to suggest that he either, one, threw away the address as well or, two, still has the piece of paper and is trying to hide it." Five explained, "We _need _to speak with him."

Diego crossed his arms, leaning against the desk, "Are you sure he'd even give up that information? He's quite a stubborn asshole and… he's not quite fond of Klaus."

"He _has _to." Vanya tried, desperately looking between her brothers, "Klaus' _life_ is on the line and if we don't get that address, he's going to _die." _The room fell silent at her words, eyes peering to each other for answers.

"I hate to say this, but we need Luther in on this." Diego finally piped up after a moment. All eyes darted to him, wide with shock. Out of everyone to suggest such a thing, Number Two should _not _have been the person to do it. "_What_?" He raised his hands in exasperation, "Luther is big ol' Number One and because of that, he has a soft spot in Dad's heart. He's the first one to be sent on any mission and he's been the only one of us kids to be allowed in his study for long periods of time. If anyone could get him to talk to that man, it would be Luther."

"That's… actually not a bad idea." Five found himself begrudgingly agreeing, running a hand down his face in exasperation.

"So," Ben started, his voice only a little bit bitter sounding, "are we all in an agreement that we should include Luther in this?" Three other hands raised slowly. The boy sighed, "Who wants to tell him?"

"I'll go." The time-traveler voiced quickly, "He'll take me more seriously than Vanya or Diego. You three should probably go get your suits on. I feel like once we get this address, we'll be heading in whatever direction it takes us as quickly as possible."

"Wait!" Vanya interrupted before the other boy teleported away, "What about Allison? Shouldn't she be in on this too if we're getting Luther?"

The boys glanced at each other for a moment, a silent conversation between them. "Her rumor ability might be needed in case a cop tries to pull us over since we're, you know, children again." Diego stated, "A group of kids driving around in a car would _definitely _cause some suspicion."

"Fine." Five nodded once before disappearing in a flash, intent on speaking to both of his siblings.

Ben stared at the spot where his brother was before moving to leave the room. He paused for a moment before looking at the two behind him, "I'll see you in the front room."

Vanya set her hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, "We're going to get him, Ben." He only nodded before making his escape to his bedroom, intent on hastily putting on a suit, his brother on his mind.

"_I'm going to find you, Klaus, I promise." _Ben was determined, the words only pushing him to run faster, get their faster, _"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, I promise you that."_


End file.
